National security adviser says 'Russia is not an ally of the United States'
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien clarified Sunday that despite President Trump’s acknowledgment of Russian cooperation with the U.S. Special Ops mission that left Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead, the country “‘is not an ally of the United States.”
Before thanking “the great intelligence professionals who helped make this very successful journey possible” and the soldiers and sailors, airmen and Marines involved in the operation, Trump expressed gratitude to Russia in the operation. Trump has received sharp criticism that his decision earlier this month to pull troops out of northern Syria allows Russia to fill the void and allowed Turkey to push out Kurdish militias who have been fighting ISIS alongside American troops. Turkish troops and allied militias entered Northern Syria days after the U.S. withdrawal. Since then, both the U.S. and Russia have brokered ceasefires, with erratic results.
O’Brien went on to say “the Kurds played an important role in the operation, and we’re grateful for the Kurds and the [Syrian Democratic Forces] and our allies there.” “We want to be home, I want our soldiers home,” Trump said. “I’ll tell you who loves us being there: Russia and China. Because while they build their military we’re depleting our military there. So Russia loves us being there. Now Russia likes us being there for two reasons because we kill ISIS, we kill terrorists and they are very close to Russia.”
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